This invention relates generally to interactive electronic shopping systems and methods and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to such systems and methods utilizing the Internet so that an individual shopper can access shopping information from his or her home or office, for example.
Commercial use of the Internet, and particularly the World Wide Web, presently allows some degree of investigation and ordering of products offered for sale. The convenience that this can offer to a shopper would be enhanced with regard to at least some types of shopping if the shopper could see a virtual reproduction of an actual store and the products offered there as they are actually displayed at the store. Convenience would also be enhanced if the shopper could examine the displayed products in a manner similar to how one would at the actual store.
Further convenience would be added by creating one or more lists of what the shopper may need to buy based upon historical or predetermined ordering patterns or upon actual selections at the time the shopper is moving through the virtual store shown on the shopper's display.
Thus, there is the need for a video-based digitally implemented interactive electronic shopping system which allows a customer to view the contents of a particular shopping facility in a format that provides the feeling of shopping for the items in that particular facility. Use of this should be available at the customer's home or business through a convenient device, such as a personal computer, television or other consumer type electronic visual display device.